LoadLevelStatus not updating

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
1

I’m hoping someone can help me out with this, I’m not sure whats going on.

I have PLEG set to dim the lights by taking the loadlevelstatus and dividing it by 2. However, for some reason the load level status doesn’t seem to be updating. I have another light which behaves normally, though…I’m not sure whats going on.

Any help would be appreciated!

2

Does your switch support the Instant status feature? If not, does the LoadLevelStatus update after several minutes or if you manuallly poll the switch?

At first blush it sounds like you have a switch that does not support instant status, so it does not update the LoadLevelStatus variable until it is polled.

Why does it work for the other switch? Probably because that switch(GE/Jasco?) is within range and communicates directly with Vera, rather than passing through an intermediate node like the one that doesn’t work.

If my assumptions are correct, the fix is to replace the switch with one that supports Instant Status. That, or relocate Vera closer and perform a heal.

3

You are right, I’m using linear dimmers which do not support instant status. But the commands are being issued from vera so vera know the state of the switch (the dimmer value is correct). Is loadlevelstatus only updated when the dimmer is polled? Is there a way to get the status of the vera dimmer state instead?

4

LoadLevelStatus is supposed to be the actual current dim level of the switch. The switch must tell Vera what it is, rather than Vera assuming that it is what Vera said it should be.

Suppose Vera set the dimmer at 50% but someone manually set it at 90%, wouldn’t it be better to know about the manual setting? What if Vera said set to 75%, but the command doesn’t happen for some reason?

LoadLevelTarget is the variable for what Vera wants the dimmer to be. SetLoadLevelTarget is the LUA LUUP command to change the dimmer.

I already explained to you how to resolve your issue. Those really are the only two workable options for your situation.

5

[quote=“Z-Waver, post:4, topic:183154”]LoadLevelStatus is supposed to be the actual current dim level of the switch. The switch must tell Vera what it is, rather than Vera assuming that it is what Vera said it should be.

Suppose Vera set the dimmer at 50% but someone manually set it at 90%, wouldn’t it be better to know about the manual setting? What if Vera said set to 75%, but the command doesn’t happen for some reason?

LoadLevelTarget is the variable for what Vera wants the dimmer to be. SetLoadLevelTarget is the LUA LUUP command to change the dimmer.

I already explained to you how to resolve your issue. Those really are the only two workable options for your situation.[/quote]

Thanks for the info. Even when I poll the device it doesn’t update the load level status, is this the behavior expected with what you previously described?:

Why does it work for the other switch? Probably because that switch(GE/Jasco?) is within range and communicates directly with Vera, rather than passing through an intermediate node like the one that doesn't work.

If my assumptions are correct, the fix is to replace the switch with one that supports Instant Status. That, or relocate Vera closer and perform a heal.

All nodes need to communicate directly to the Vera for loadlevelstatus to be updated? Wouldn’t this be kind of clumsy for large Z-wave networks? I am in a small area so it wouldn’t matter too much for me, should I just take Vera right next to the switch and reconnect it? I’m not sure exactly how the ‘heal’ works.

Thanks!

6

No, devices do not need to communicate directly with Vera for LoadLevelStatus to be updated. LoadLevelStatus is updated with a successful polling operation. If your status is not updating, then there is something wrong. Common issues that could cause this are an inability to communicate, and a web browser that is not refreshing properly. There are likely other possibilities that I can’t think of right now.

All nodes need to communicate directly to the Vera for loadlevelstatus to be updated? Wouldn't this be kind of clumsy for large Z-wave networks? I am in a small area so it wouldn't matter too much for me, should I just take Vera right next to the switch and reconnect it? I'm not sure exactly how the 'heal' works.
No, Vera reads LoadLevelStatus when the device is polled. Polling occurs regardless of whether the communication is direct or routed via intermediate nodes.

The reference to direct communication with Vera is due to a “hack” that Vera uses to simulate Instant Status behavior. In this case, Vera utilizes the locally broadcast Network Information Frame(NIF)(for Inclusion/Exclusion purposes) that is broadcast by these devices when the button is pressed. The broadcast is not routed by intermediate nodes, so the Instant Status effect only works for devices that communicate directly with Vera. But, polling updates still work for indirect devices, it just takes longer.

The Z-Wave network Heal operation, among other things, analyzes the network node neighbors and recalculates the routing tables for the various nodes. It is supposed to optimize network communication and will likely fix the previously described failure to poll a device. Network heals are, by default, often performed each night. Manual heal operations are usually needed in cases where the default behavior has been disabled, or devices have been added or moved and you do not wish too wait for the lightly heal operation.

Note however that, heals can only optimize which are the preferred paths. If a network is too sparse, due to trying to cover too large of an area with too few devices, the only fix is to move Vera closer to the device or increase the density of the network mesh by adding intermediate Z-Wave routing nodes.

7

No, devices do not need to communicate directly with Vera for LoadLevelStatus to be updated. LoadLevelStatus is updated with a successful polling operation. If your status is not updating, then there is something wrong. Common issues that could cause this are an inability to communicate, and a web browser that is not refreshing properly. There are likely other possibilities that I can’t think of right now.

All nodes need to communicate directly to the Vera for loadlevelstatus to be updated? Wouldn't this be kind of clumsy for large Z-wave networks? I am in a small area so it wouldn't matter too much for me, should I just take Vera right next to the switch and reconnect it? I'm not sure exactly how the 'heal' works.
No, Vera reads LoadLevelStatus when the device is polled. Polling occurs regardless of whether the communication is direct or routed via intermediate nodes.

The reference to direct communication with Vera is due to a “hack” that Vera uses to simulate Instant Status behavior. In this case, Vera utilizes the locally broadcast Network Information Frame(NIF)(for Inclusion/Exclusion purposes) that is broadcast by these devices when the button is pressed. The broadcast is not routed by intermediate nodes, so the Instant Status effect only works for devices that communicate directly with Vera. But, polling updates still work for indirect devices, it just takes longer.

The Z-Wave network Heal operation, among other things, analyzes the network node neighbors and recalculates the routing tables for the various nodes. It is supposed to optimize network communication and will likely fix the previously described failure to poll a device. Network heals are, by default, often performed each night. Manual heal operations are usually needed in cases where the default behavior has been disabled, or devices have been added or moved and you do not wish too wait for the lightly heal operation.

Note however that, heals can only optimize which are the preferred paths. If a network is too sparse, due to trying to cover too large of an area with too few devices, the only fix is to move Vera closer to the device or increase the density of the network mesh by adding intermediate Z-Wave routing nodes.[/quote]

Ah, thanks! So the problem is that polling won’t update LoadLevelStatus. Do you have any information on how to fix the above issues? The browser not updating shouldn’t effect PLEG action which take the level, divide by 2, and set a new level. That should all be done on the Vera side and not browser side. Any idea what could be causing an ‘inability to communicate’?

Edit: Your browser refresh comment got me on the right track. Once I refresh the browser I noticed all the LoadLevelStatus variables got updated. I dug in a little deeper and it was a problem with PLEG. Thanks for the help!

Do you have a link that explains the ‘hack’ to give switches instant status without them actually having instant status? Or is it automatically implemented by Vera?

8

The “hack” is built into Vera for GE/Jasco and Linear/Evolve switches.

I recently saw @oti@ and/or @guessd implement something similar for a Leviton DZMX1-1LZ, but it won’t benefit you in this case.